From the Wandenreich's escape to One Piece

Chapter 111 The Incurable Harald; The Swallow-Swallow Fruit of the Drum Kingdom

Thick fog, like a heavy gray curtain, enveloped the boundless sea, reducing visibility to less than 100 meters.

The sea was eerily calm, the sound of the waves swallowed up by the boundless whiteness. In this chaotic silence, the giants' warships resembled a moving mountain of steel.

Harald the Giant King stood on the ship of the Giant Kingdom like a giant sea monster, while in front of him stood a man in the sky.

Harald was familiar with Rocks, but his knowledge of the Rocks Pirates was limited to the original members.

For example, Skye, Newgate, and the others—

Later, Rocks expanded his pirate crew and broke with him. They never saw each other again until the day before God Valley.

So Harald really didn't know if Beltz was a member of the Rocks Pirates.

"What are you trying to say?"

Harald asked in a deep voice.

Without using any tools, Beltz's clothes remained motionless in the damp breeze, a stark contrast to the surrounding gray, seemingly writhing sea fog.

He calmly looked up at the legendary giant king, his gaze seemingly able to see right into the other's eyes.

"Don't trust the World Government." Beltz's voice was clear and steady, piercing through the heavy fog: "The World Government is not as wonderful as you think. Above the Five Elders, there are hidden rulers in the shadows. From the beginning, they only wanted to transform the Giant Kingdom into a military superpower and treat you as weapons of war."

"Is this what Lockes asked you to say?" Harald's bronze face was as hard as rock, and he remained unmoved by these words. Only his eyes, which were deep-set under his brows, sharply scrutinized the human floating in the air before him.

His voice, like muffled thunder from the deep sea, echoed through the mist: "If that's all, you can leave. For Rocks' sake, I won't arrest you."

"————" Beltz frowned slightly.

Could it be that Harald already knows about Im's existence?

After learning of Im's existence, why insist on joining the World Government?

This guy's obsession with joining the World Government is so fanatical?

Before he traveled here, he had no idea how Harald joined the World Government, nor how he was killed by Loki.

However, he could roughly deduce some of the process, but he didn't expect that this guy's obsession with the World Government would be so deep.

Beltz was unaware that after Rocks' death, Harald would have no choice but to join the World Government.

There's no turning back for him!

Because his sunk costs had become too high, he was forced to join the World Government.

If he regrets it, then Rocks died for nothing. Why doesn't he go to God Valley with Rocks? If he helps Rocks, will it save his life?

But all of that was in the past; with Lox dead, he had no other choice.

Therefore, he must emphasize that his path of joining the World Government is the right one, and that there is no turning back. This madness, caused by such high sunk costs, stems from a very deep obsession with joining the World Government.

Moreover, no matter what others say, no matter how eloquently they speak, it cannot change the fact that the World Government is the rightful ruler of this world.

In name only, the world government can truly control the world.

If Elbaf wants to integrate into the world, it must rely on the power of the World Government!

Harald was even prepared to sacrifice himself in order to prevent other countries from resisting Elbaf!

As a psychologist, Beltz vaguely sensed the madness within Harald.

As a powerful figure on par with Rocks, even Beltz would find it difficult to directly hypnotize him. Controlling Harald would require a long period of hypnosis and guidance.

If it were any other idea, then perhaps his mind could be subtly influenced with his abilities, but for an idea as obsessive as joining the World Government, he would have to be slowly guided psychologically.

"Is the future of the giants truly in the hands of others?" Beltz asked one last time, his tone carrying an indescribable complexity—a warning, yet also a sigh.

However, Harald did not respond further.

He simply turned around slowly, his massive body stirring up the air currents and the surrounding thick fog.

The giant ship emitted a deep rumble, began to adjust its course, and resolutely sailed deeper into the mist, as if there lay the other shore it had to reach.

Although Beltz claimed to be a pirate, Harald had never seen his wanted poster, and there were two children on his ship. He also had no orders from the World Government, so he did not take action against Beltz.

Beltz hovered in place, watching as the mountain-like shadow was gradually swallowed up and faded by the gray-white mist, eventually disappearing completely.

The churning sea fog quickly erased all traces, as if the standoff just now was merely an illusion.

He did not stop him.

Because he knew that saying anything would be useless.

This guy won't admit his mistakes until he's faced with a fatal error; he's beyond saving.

He remained standing in the sky, watching Harald gradually disappear into the distance.

Gradually, Harald's figure disappeared from view in the thick fog.

Never mind, we'll talk about it later.

He didn't really know how Im would manipulate Harald or how he would control Elbaf through him, but he did need to be prepared.

But then I realized that I was being too confined to the mindset of the One Piece world.

Perhaps spending too much time in the world of One Piece has unconsciously infected me with its influence.

His previous thought was that Harald already possessed the level of Rocks, and if he were to gain the power bestowed by Im, he would be invincible on the sea unless Roger and Garp joined forces again.

But as long as he has time—

Then he can surpass the limits that ordinary people in the pirate world can never surpass!

As long as his plan can be successfully implemented, regardless of how it goes in the world of Bleach, in the world of One Piece, apart from the unknown Im and Joy Boy, no one should be able to stop him.

And Harald—

Well, it might not be a bad opportunity.

Harald the Giant King was quite powerful, and if given the chance, he even considered recruiting him into his own camp.

He slowly descended from the sky and returned to his small boat.

On the ship, Shanks and Shamrock huddled close together, their little hands gripping the gunwale.

The blurry, towering figure in the fog, taller than a mountain, and the conversation that sounded like the whispers of ancient sea monsters, made the two children's hearts pound like drums.

They couldn't see the specifics, but they could feel the suffocating sense of oppression.

When they saw their captain fly alone into that terrifying shadow and eventually return safely, the fear in the two children's eyes was quickly replaced by fervent admiration.

"Captain! You must have driven that monster away!"

Shanks was the first to jump up, his red hair seemingly standing on end in excitement!

Shamrock was slightly more reserved, but he stared intently at Beltz, nodding vigorously with a gleam in his eyes.

Beltz snapped out of his reverie, looked at the two young faces filled with trust and excitement, smiled, and casually ruffled Shanks's hair. "I suppose so. But the monsters of the sea," he said, "are more than just this one."

He looked up at the seemingly endless churning mist above, his tone shifting to a relaxed anticipation, "Alright, children, let's change direction. Our next destination—is up there."

"Up there?" The two children looked up following his gaze, only to see a hazy gray sky.

"Yes," Beltz said with a mysterious smile, "a trip to the heavens."

Although he didn't understand why, the word "sky" was enough to ignite all of the boy's imagination.

Shanks and Shamrock exchanged a glance, immediately filled with enthusiasm, grabbed the oars, and rowed the small boat with all their might.

The slender yet resilient hull cleaved through the thick fog and seawater, continuing its voyage into the depths of the Grand Line.

However, although the destination is Sky Island, the journey will take you through Drum Kingdom, which is Wapol's original country.

Wapol wasn't born yet at this time, so he wanted to see if he could find the Gluttony Fruit.

He didn't know when Wapol ate the Gluttony Fruit, but since he was already here, he might as well try his luck.

The Swallow Fruit is crucial to his future plans, so he is determined to get it.

This Devil Fruit possesses the ability to devour, allowing it to process and fuse what it consumes within its body; it can even eat people!

This is really good stuff!

Just one day later, they arrived at Drum Island.

Unlike other pirates, Beltz doesn't rely heavily on the Perpetual Pose. First, he can fly, so he can simply fly into the sky to find his way. Second, his spiritual sense can detect auras from very far away.

He already had the nautical charts for the Grand Line. As long as he knew his approximate location, he could still set sail even without a permanent compass.

Drum Island is a kingdom ruled by an eternal winter.

As their single-masted boat slowly approached the shore, a biting wind carrying fine snowflakes swept over them.

Looking around, the whole world is enveloped in boundless pure white. The most breathtaking sight is the majestic main peak in the center of the island, the five-kilometer-high Cigu Mountain, which pierces the lead-gray clouds like a pillar reaching the sky. The royal palace on the mountaintop is faintly visible in the wind and snow.

"It's so cold here."

Shanks and Shamrock were shivering with cold as soon as they stepped off the ship, their little faces quickly turning red. Dressed in their thin sea clothes, they looked so helpless in this icy landscape.

Seeing this, Beltz pulled out thick cotton-padded coats for them from the shadows.

The space in his shadow is getting bigger and bigger. Now, besides gold and silver treasures, it contains the things he will need after setting sail.

Wrapped in cotton-padded coats, the two felt a little better, but they still couldn't help shivering. They followed Beltz, their footsteps crunching as they trudged through the ankle-deep snow, leaving three winding lines of footprints on the vast snowfield.

Under the heavy snow, on the white ground, three figures, one large and two small, walked towards the depths of the island.

"Is this the sky the captain was talking about?" Shanks put on a thick cotton-padded coat, but he still felt freezing cold. He crossed his arms and buried half of his face in the fur collar, his breath instantly turning into white mist.

He followed closely behind Beltz, asking, "Where are we going?"

"Captain, aren't you cold?" Shamrock asked, looking at Beltz, who was still dressed in very thin clothes, only wearing a white coat as an extra layer compared to before.

"When you are strong enough, the inner furnace will be enough to withstand the harshness of the outside world."

Beltz walked ahead, his voice steady as it cut through the wind and snow. He suddenly stopped, a satisfied smile playing on his lips: "We didn't come for nothing this time. I found what I was looking for."

"Huh?" The two men were somewhat surprised and asked simultaneously, "Captain, what are you looking for?"

"A Devil Fruit," Beltz said, quite pleased with himself, for he had found the Gluttony Fruit.

The reason he said this was because, as he was walking, he had already allowed his consciousness to penetrate into the vast ocean of the subconscious mind of the entire Drum Kingdom.

He did this because there weren't many experts in the Drum Kingdom.

Physical movement isn't that fast, but the speed of the mind is limitless. So he has already toured all the inhabited areas of the Drum Kingdom, and even explored the entire Drum Island by reading everyone's memories.

With this ability, he successfully discovered the Gluttony Fruit!

The Gluttony Fruit is located in the palace of the Drum Kingdom. It is believed that the current king found the Devil Fruit and then had his son Wapol eat it.

"Let's go, we're heading straight to the palace!"

He had little impression of the current king of the Drum Kingdom, but he knew who Wapol was. Wapol was so wicked because, on the one hand, he was born that way and was a bad seed, and on the other hand, his father spoiled him excessively.

But overall, judging from the information gleaned from everyone's memories just now, this generation of kings doesn't seem to be too bad.

So Beltz thought of using psychology to become invisible and simply take the Swallow-Swallow Fruit.

With a goal in mind, they sped up considerably, heading straight for the towering Cigu Mountain.

"Wow—it's so high."

Shanks and Shamrock looked up in awe at the endless white mountain peaks and swallowed hard.

"No wonder the captain said it was in the sky."

Climbing to the top of this mountain, it truly feels like being in heaven.

"The real heavens are twice as high as this."

After Beltz finished speaking, he paused for a moment.

"It seems this operation will still encounter some challenges."

Just now, he sensed another, no, two, powerful auras coming from the other side of the island.

He was quite familiar with one of the auras.

It's Kaido's aura!

How did Kaido end up here?

Another aura is also quite powerful. Could the one who is with Kaido be Charlotte Linlin?

That makes sense. In this timeline, because he stole the Azure Dragon Fruit, Kaido didn't ambush Linlin, so the two of them are still in their honeymoon period?

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